Vista Installed!!!!

My PC is now up and running with only one minor hitch.

I went to Staples this morning and picked up the Vista Ultimate upgrade edition and took it home braving the slight snow flurry outside. After arriving safe at home I inserted the 64 bit DVD and it asked me for the product key.

Well I looked all over the box and couldn't find it. I'm not a novice at this stuff and knew it had to be somewhere but all I found is a place where it should be and all that was left was a glued spot where it looked like a product key was supposed to be.

So I called Staples and told them they wouldn't believe me but they did and exchanged the product with another one. I brought it home, installed it and restored my settings, synchronized my two monitors and it works like it should!!!!

It is still snowing though....

Feeling Great!

I feel great today!

First I got up at my normal time after going to bed at around 8:30 last night. Got plenty of sleep and woke up headache free!

Then I checked my checking account and what to my amazement did I see? My tax refund! So I promptly called into work to say I wasn't going to be there so I can go get Vista and upgrade my PC today.

This will be a chore but an enjoyable one.

It is snowing outside which makes it twice as good to be off of work and after ingesting some toast for breakfast I am waiting on Staples to open.

This is going to be a good day my friends:)

A Dull Aching Headache

Pretty much all day has had me in a grumpy mood.

I emailed Catina with the Documentary project and told her that if she could live without me for tonight that I'd appreciate it. She said that I deserved a night off and they would be fine:)

She is really nice!

It is just after seven P.M. and I'm contemplating going to bed right now.

Such is life.

Taxes Are Filed

Well my taxes are filed and I am getting back more than I expected, about twice as much actually!
This will help on some work I have been putting off on my vehicle.

I have to have the glow plug controller replaced, I've been using starting fluid after disconnecting the malfunctioning plugs.

I am expecting my state refund early this week and the federal by the 9th of February.

Tomorrow is Vista day, the long overdue Windows Vista is being released and of course I have to get it because it is new and shiny. I'm a big fan of shiny when it comes to electronics not so much with women.

Jessica Simpson is shiny....blech.
Jessica Biel is not shiny....yum!

See the difference?
What was the point again? OH YEAH....the very important tax refund that will be directly deposited at or less than two weeks!

I Just Love My Guilty Pleasure Of The Surreal Life

I can't help it, I really can't.

This season has been especially spectacular in terms of the celebs dealing with their inadequacies and self absorption.

It is A-List celebs vs. B-List celebs!!!!
They play games to see who stays goes to the B-List part of the house where they live in normal accommodations where as the winners get to stay in much more extravagant conditions and are pampered.

The run down of guests have all been on previous editions and have been brought back for being particularly crazy.
Emmanuel Lewis
Traci Bingham
Ron Jeremy
Vanilla Ice (who is about as unstable as a PC with bad RAM in it)
Brigitte Nielsen (one of the craziest)
Joanie Laurer (again nuttier than a jar of crunchy Peter Pan)
Pepa (one of the most normal ones)
C.C. Deville
Andrea Lowell
and Mini Me (who is about as crazy as it gets as well)

So what is so funny about this? THEY ARE ALL HAS BEENS THEY JUST DON'T KNOW IT!!!!

Come on this is just all out funny, I love this show.

As you have guess already that the real drama isn't in the games themselves it is in the celebs dealing with their lack of notoriety and unwillingness to accept their real life D-List status that is usually enjoyed by local DJs.

Ice Age 2: The Devil's Playground

My last two movies from Netflix were Ice Age 2: The Meltdown which was very enjoyable and fun! There was a short as one of the extras that had me laughing the whole time! That Scrat, what a wild and crazy....whatever he is.

There are a lot of enjoyable moments to go along with the cutting edge animation and clever writing. There are enough moments to keep the adults entertained but enough that kids will love it start to finish. The old Disney ending where something sad happens before it turns into something good is practically gone from animated movies today.

You could have a pretty good day with both Ice Age movies and some popcorn!

The Devil's Playground was a bit more serious. It was a documentary that dealt with the Amish rite of passage tradition of Rumspringa where at the age of 16 you are allowed to do as you wish in the "English" world before either giving it up or joining the Amish church for the rest of your life. That means giving up your clothes, cars, alcohol, vices, and music for the strict but simple and happy life of the farm and family.

It appears from this documentary that most Amish teens go wild at 16 and even though they get a taste of life as we know it around 90% join the church. What really is the foundation of this film is the very tight knit Amish community. You hear that term in so many different ways that honestly just don't apply but in this case it does.

You learn a little about Amish doctrine and life which would make for an incredible documentary but for the most part the Amish don't allow film after joining the church. The Devil's Playground is their term for our world for the lack of a better term. There is a separation between the way you and I see and live our lives and the way the Amish live their lives. Their goal is to live a simple, honest and just life in order to obtain everlasting redemption.

After seeing this documentary it really makes much more sense now that after the Amish schoolhouse shooting tragedy they reacted the way they did as a community by immediately forgiving the widow and treating her just as much of a victim as their own lost children. By inviting her and her children into their community for support. That is uncommon compassion that really is lost on a large part of the population.

You can't go wrong with either of these movies even though they are vastly different in content.

Auditions Were Successful!!!!

From the point of view that most of the parts were filled. With the exception of a couple of parts being contingent upon approaching a couple of actors, every part was filled.

The total turnout was agreed upon that it was a bit disappointing however that is part of trying to do a film project in a small town.

It is a struggle, every single part will be an obstacle to overcome. You can plan better than anyone has ever planned and something will go wrong and THAT is the only thing you can count on. It burns me up to no end when I read about "low budget" filmmakers who complain when they have a couple of hundred people show up to auditions on a film where their budget is in the mid six figures.

Now for the positive! Everyone who was cast has some great acting skills! They are solid and are going to be very happy with their participation in the Fanfilm project!
Our cast is GREAT!!!!

Saw 3: The Illusionist

Well yesterday I received my first four movies from Netflix.
Saw 3
The Illusionist
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
The Devil's Playground

I watched Saw 3 and The Illusionist after work and after filming the rehearsal.

I would say that Saw 3 has followed the horrible trend of putting suffering on screen in creative ways. How many ways can we show someone being killed? Well come see this movie and we will show you new and innovative ways to torture and kill someone!

The franchise was based on a twist ending in the first installment which really could be seen from about twenty minutes into the movie. Saw had lots of exposition, Saw 2 had lots of exposition, and Saw 3 had the same.

So why after seeing the first two movies and despising them did I get Saw 3? Well probably for the same reason I watched the two Matrix sequels. In the hope it would get better I guess. I don't understand the reasoning behind movies such as Hostel and Saw. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism to see some kind of fear that we can actually control in a safe environment in a world seemingly full of chaos.

It was the same horrible fair. From the point of view make up artists I can see where this would be a great project to work on. I actually felt less of a person for watching this movie.

The Illusionist was everything that Saw 3 wasn't.
It was heartfelt, intriguing, and beautifully shot! I don't really want to give away any of the plot because it really should be watched! Paul Giamatti plays a brilliant foil to Edward Norton's love lorn illusionist and Jessica Biel is HOT!

It is a wonderful movie experience and gave me back the humanity I felt I lost watching Saw 3.

The Jessica Debate

Has erupted at work over the past two days.

If you could have one of these women for say a week which one?
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Biel
Jessica Alba

My first preference would be Kari Byron however she isn't a Jessica so I was confined to Simpson, Biel, or Alba.

Well a week is a long time if you have to talk to someone so Simpson is out. I'd have to stick hot forks in my eyes if I had to talk to her for over one minute.

I like a woman who is a bit esoteric and deep so Alba is probably out as well leaving by default Jessica Biel.

She seems like perhaps she can hold a conversation, she might know where most of the states and countries are located, heck she might even know a political figure or two. She appears that she can be a deeper thinker than the other two but then again appearances aren't everything.

Jessica Simpson could have an IQ of 130....well....maybe not. I don't know why Jessica Alba doesn't really appeal a bit more to me but she doesn't. Perhaps she is too young and hasn't been kicked around by life yet.

Busy Busy Busy!!!!

The rehearsals have gone on all week so far and I've been at every one of them for the documentary.

Beersnob's Fanfilm is gearing up with the auditions this Saturday.

So I've had practically no free time except for about two hours after work to relax a bit and grab some supper. I haven't been able to have enough time to edit Drinkbusters yet either.

The Fanfilm is going to be amazing! This is going to be the most technically advanced project this town has ever had!!!! I just know that a lot of people are going to be at the auditions for this and it is going to be amazing!!!!

I know a few people are really looking forward to being a part of this in any capacity as well which means that there is going to be a great cast and crew. I know Beersnob is really starting to feel a little nervous about the process but he will find out that the thinking about it ahead of time is far worse than the actual day when it arrives and he will wind up enjoying every second of it and wonder what in the world he was worried about in the first place.

I know exactly what he is going through so I can relate but once everything started I really didn't have much time to worry anymore and something inside just clicks and you get into leader mode and all is well.

I am looking forward to Saturday SO MUCH! He is going to have so much fun with this!!!!

Netflix

I subscribed to Netflix Tuesday. I've heard many good things about Netflix and thought this could be a fun experiment to possibly see movies I just wouldn't want to spend the money on.

Rest assured I am still going to try my best to adhere to my NO REMAKE policy. If I am all caught up on quality movies though I can't make any promises that a remake from time to time might slip into my queue.

I do have my limits though and I really don't expect to run out of good movies anytime soon.

This should be quite fun and enjoyable!

My first movies should arrive tomorrow.

Rehearsals Are Rolling Along!

Last night the rehearsals and the documentary kept on rolling. The more footage I get the better the finished story will be....or at least that is the theory!

Chianti was kind enough to print off the forms for The Lot contest and drop them by my house yesterday. I frantically filled them out and placed that and the DVD with my hideous intro to Hard Drive Cafe inside. Today they will start the odyssey to Beverly Hills and the contest will begin!

I've decided to take a drastic turn regarding the way I purchase DVDs.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a library of a collection but the fact is that I don't really care for many that are coming out today. I guess it is the same for most theatrical movies right now. There are some that peak my interest but some I could care less about.

There are some I want but just aren't released yet such as The African Queen.

So I have decided to sign up to Netflix. From now on I'll sample before I buy. This is only an experiment at this point and it might only last a month but we'll see how it goes. I have subscribed to the four movies at a time plan.

I do watch a lot of movies so four at a time isn't that much for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to watch more classics. I LOVE most of the movies offered by the Criterion Collection and have several in my library.

Ha....Library. It is more like a money pit! But with the amount of movies I have, I can tell you that it is like having a film school in my living room. I have learned the art of filmmaking with teachers like Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Sam Peckinpah, Frank Capra, and contemporaries like Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and the great Ridley Scott.

0-2 In My Super Bowl Prediction

Well today was a great day my friends!

First it was AFC/NFC Championship day and the filming of the next episode of Drinkbusters!

I'll have it up within the next few days!

The Super Bowl is going to be between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.

Peyton Manning finally won a big game that counted. He has one to go and I believe that it could be for a place in history. He will likely go down owning every record in the book when he retires it is just a matter of how many rings he has when he does.

Will he be Joe Montana or Dan Marino?

It should be a good game and we'll see if the AFC win has inspired Peyton Manning to the greatness that is expected of him.

If you will look at my predictions you will see that I picked the Saints and the Patriots to be in the Super Bowl. Well I couldn't have been more wrong if I had money on the games!

Anyway it was a great time at Beersnob's house and with all of the Drinkbusters in attendance how could you ask for better company?

Bladerunner Drinking Glasses And Filmmaking

If you have ever seen the Scifi Ridley Scott masterpiece then you will recall the scene where Deckard has poured a straight drink into some unique square looking glasses and did his detective work on a photograph.

Well anyway after a small amount of research I found that they are made by a European craftsman and they are about fifty bucks apiece. Not only that but they are hand made and there is a backorder list for them.

So what does this have to do with filmmaking?

I'm not really sure yet because I thought I'd have the answer by the time I got this far....sigh....

Anyway it is snowing out right now but I have all of the supplies for 2x1 of Drinkbusters tomorrow and I can say that after tasting the Applejack that one recipe calls for, it should be very interesting to see the reactions to the martini drink.

Tomorrow should be a BLAST and I'm very much looking forward to this episode!!!!

Half A Day Today

I decided to take half a day off and get some supplies for the next episode of Drinkbusters, pay some bills, and get some new shoes.

Did all that and I'm just relaxing now.

Chianti has printed off the entry forms to enter The Lot for me. I have to confess that this is really starting to get me a little bit excited. This is kind of unusual for me because it is a reality series, especially since I have seen some of the other entries. They are pretty good, no doubt about it.

How will Hard Drive Cafe stack up? I don't know. I suppose that is for the judges to decide.

The competition is pretty strong. If I could make another episode of Hard Drive I'd probably do it but my location is lost for good now since Intercorp went out of business.

I'm going to send in the episode we made and if they aren't completely impressed by Chianti's acting, Dr. Weird's creepy demeanor, and Chris Scheffe's great line then they just have no sense of humor and can't be impressed at all!!!!

Another Contest

My friend Chianti sent me a link to the new reality show The Lot. A show in the vein of American Idol except with film.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I despise reality TV with the exceptions of Flavor of Love and Surreal Life (and now I love New York) Alright so maybe I don't despise reality all the way, I just gravitate to the lowest common denominator and trashy side of it.

The winner gets a million dollar development deal. Not a bad prize at all!!!!

Anyway Chianti sent me the link to this contest and when I got there I remembered that a few months ago I had checked this out and even read the agreement to it to submit a film.

I just didn't seem that interested in it at the time but now, I feel pretty good about it.

I have until February 16 to get the forms filled out and sent in.

I can do that!

Documentary Update

The documentary has been rolling along and we've been getting some incredible footage.

What is more than that is that we got a touching and emotional interview last night that in all honesty was breaking my heart while I was conducting it.

I can't talk about it right now but if Catina and I decide to include it on the documentary then it will move you as well.

Why wouldn't it be on the documentary? Well simply put a documentary as I have described much earlier has a fluid focus. Things change and shift and stories emerge and go away. I hope this one stays in and has a happy ending.

AFC NFC Game Predictions

Yes folks here are my AFC and NFC Championship Games predictions!

First of all the AFC.

We have New England vs. Indianapolis. A match up of two of the best quarterbacks in today's game. The nearly unbeatable Tom Brady matches up with Peyton Manning who just can't win an important game.

Tom Brady, what can you say? The guy knows how to win. He loses most of his team over the past six years, has no big name receivers, has a suspect D, and loses the best clutch kicker in the game today in Adam Vinatieri.
The kicker goes over to Indy so they have the edge there.
The offense might also have a slight edge with Indy because no one can name the New England receiving corps.
The running backs are probably a push.
The D are probably a push as well, I'd say that the New England D is a bit better but they are playing at Indy so that'll give the Indy a slight edge.

I believe the key factor in this game though is that Tom Brady won't choke and Manning will.

Winner: New England Patriots

On the NFC side we have New Orleans vs. Chicago. A dome team is going to the other frozen tundra of Soldier Field so that is an automatic edge to the Bears.
The New Orleans offense is far better than the Chicago O. They can wear down defenses with the double threat of Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister. The receiving corp for the Saints is far better.
On the defensive side of things the Bears have the clear edge here. There isn't a better D left in the playoffs. Special teams too, no doubt.
So the only edge that the Saints have here is heart.
The intangibles are squarely in the Saints column.
If the Saints can catch a couple of breaks they win.

Winner: New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl Winner: I believe in great stories, I really do and New Orleans is that great story but Tom Brady is unbeatable in big games. If the Patriots get to the Super Bowl they win no question.

Wow....

I made it!
I made it all the way through an episode of I Love New York and didn't die!!!!

I did feel like I needed a shower though. Wow it was rough and New York's mom is out and out psychotic.

Alright for those of you who aren't in the know, I Love New York is a spin off of Flavor Of Love.
New York was the biggest drama queen and the most unstable on that show and she was so unstable that she got her own show.

This is really a train wreck of a show....sigh....and it might very well be another guilty pleasure.
I hate myself.....

Prison Vader

The past week and the past couple of days due to the icy conditions outside I have contented myself by watching Prison Break.

This is a pretty decent show. The one thing that wears on you though is its constant use of misdirection. It happens all the time to create the effect of imminent danger.

It is a lot of editing to advance the story. While not a bad way of doing things it seems that as good as the writers are they could avoid the over use of this.

This show is above average compared to most of the other shows in the modern wasteland that is American TV. The premise is good but it seems that it can encounter the same problem as Lost if it goes beyond a handful of seasons.

We'll see how things progress with the show but it seems that the shark jumping could come at any episode now even though the second season isn't complete yet.

One other bit of net only entertainment I have enjoyed recently is Chad Vader. The You Tube production that showcases Chad Vader, the less famous brother, who is in charge of Empire Groceries. This show is amazingly clever and witty.

In fact this is the promise of the net as a form of entertainment. It proves that Hollywood doesn't have to control the purse strings anymore.

Anyone who has a camera and a modicum of editing skills can produce something this good if not better. That ideas aren't limited to those living in California or New York.

If you have a dream, shoot it and put it out there!!!!

The Legend That Is John Titor

Has taken another step into the bizarre and also into the mainstream. Not quite a full foot into the river of the mainstream but it is doing a toe dip now.

It seems that there is now a documentary that claims CIA involvement, many interviews, and lots of innuendo. I haven't seen this but if I were a gambling man I'd say that it is a mockumentary that blurs the lines from fact and fiction. Think about it, a documentary on a man who may or may not have ever existed, who claims to be from the future. The doc even has a My Space page! What does that tell you?

It could be a stroke of genius of Blair Witchian proportions!

The story all started back in 2000-01. He made a series of web posts claiming to be from 2036. You can also read my last post about the John Titor story for more details.

This story just doesn't go away. So what is it about this story that isn't just discredited out of hand? I mean this is about someone who just made a series of web posts, I mean who can't do that and claim they are from the future? The fact of the matter is that John Titor, either real of a very elaborate hoax, has a huge esoteric effect if you know where to go on the web.

How much of an underground presence does John Titor have? Well just do a search on You Tube, the next time you are going to watch an episode of Drinkbusters.

You know after typing that sentence about a subject as profound and mysterious, with unlimited threads for discussion and deep conversations such as time travel and then tie it to Drinkbusters about my friends and I who test drinks, I suddenly feel a twinge of inadequacy.

Eh, I'll get over it!

Anyway back to John Titor. If you want to get a good grasp of the mystery go to
www.johntitor.com
www.fasttrackproductions.biz/TimeTravel_0.html

and see for yourself.
Think about this for a second, If time travel is possible in the future couldn't there actually be a time traveler here today? At the moment that time travel is possible then time is no longer relevant to you. You are no longer restrained by time other than by natural aging and even that could be irrelevant if aging is conquered sometime in their future.

So for me personally what is it that intrigues me about this story? Even when common sense is screaming at me that it is a hoax, why do I still keep up with it? I want to believe that John Titor is a real life time traveler.

I want to believe that mankind in the future has harnessed time to create a better world. The possibilities of creating a paradise this side of Heaven would be at hand. It could make man's inhumanity to man a thing of the past.

Sleeting Up A Storm

Outside.

It is 19 degrees right now and there is a lot of icing going on out. The ice is pelting everything and making it generally miserable outside unless you really enjoy cold, icy weather.

I like the snow better.

This gives me the opportunity to fix some hot chocolate and throw in some Irish Cream!

I have plenty of provisions such as ramen noodles and like forty bottles of booze. I'm good!

I had a slight financial mishap this morning that was quickly remedied by Beersnob!
I called a plumber about five weeks ago to take some roots out of the sewer pipe outside. I wrote him a check and I thought it was cashed that following week.

Well it was cashed this morning leaving me with a grand total of .93 cents. Well Beersnob came to the rescue with studio/hanger rent ahead of time! Woohoooo!!!!

So now as tonight sets rehearsal has been canceled so no filming tonight. Monday is a holiday and it should be a cold weekend ahead.

What A Day

Well we have Barry Bonds failing a drug test for amphetamines.
David Beckham signing a five year two hundred fifty million dollar contract.

Two big stories today that each merit their own blog post however I plan on wrapping them both up in one post.

First the disgrace that is Barry Bonds. He is the opposite of everything that is good in sports today. He allegedly asked a team mate for a pick me up and then got into his locker and got the drugs and then was called in for a random drug test.

When made public he immediately blamed his teammate. This is typical Bonds. It didn't matter that what he took was wrong and lets not forget ILLEGAL, it only mattered that it wasn't his fault.

This is just so Bonds. How can anyone like this absolute loser of a baseball player?
He is a disgrace and should be banned forever.

David Beckham, probably the world's most recognizable soccer player and Mr. Posh Spice has had a team invest a lot of hope and money into the idea that soccer can be successful in the US.

The Los Angeles Galaxy has decided to take a thirty one year old soccer player who doesn't even start for his team now and is a little past his prime but has maybe three years left in him. He isn't a top player in the world anymore, from radio reports maybe not even top twenty five.

Now he is the highest paid athlete in America, in fact his is paid more than any TWO combined athletes of any of the major sports.

All of this money and hope has been invested into someone and into a sport that has little to no following in this country. There is no way they will be able to recoup their investment. This deal could possibly destroy or make Major League Soccer.

The bought and paid very handsomely for star power. No one knows any US soccer star. Frankly no one cares. Until there is a home grown soccer star that can do for the MLS what Michael Jordan did for the NBA, what Babe Ruth did for baseball, what Tiger did for the PGA.

That is what the MLS needs if it ever has a chance to make people moderately interested in this sport on these shores.

The Days Keep Rolling

Rolling along and they have actually been brighter lately. Brighter than I have expected.

The documentary is coming along nicely.
The Fanfilm project is coming along as well.
There is a script somewhere in my head that is begging to come out.

There are a lot of puzzle pieces around me right now and I just don't know how they fit together yet but I know they do and I know the picture is going to be worth it when I figure them out.

5th?!?!?!?!

Florida won last night's BCS game, destroying Ohio State 41-14 and finished in first place.
The only UNDEFEATED team finished fifth!!!!

Now that is injustice.

Florida is 13-1 and your champs
Ohio State who got blown out last night is 12-1
LSU who easily beat Notre Dame is 11-2
USC who easily beat Michigan is 11-2
Boise State who beat everyone is 13-0 and NOT the National Champion.

I expected at least a ranking of third. This should outrage the talk show hosts today and be another nail in the coffin of the BCS system. Nail? NO this should be the silk lining!!!!

This is why there needs to be a playoff system. So teams can get a fair shot at playing the big schools and have their fair shot at being the champs.

Now I went to bed last night around ten o'clock. The game was in the third quarter!!!! They need to start these games earlier and finish the bowl season much sooner than a WEEK after the other games!!!!

This past weekend was Wild Card weekend in the NFL and no one cares about college football then. There are so many great NFL stories going on with coaching changes and spectacular plays from the weekend before and not to mention two bowl games that mean NOTHING, the GMAC and International bowls AFTER all of the BCS bowls except the BCS Championship game.

The BCS is stupid and really needs the villagers to band together, fire up the torches, and burn down Castle Von BCS.

The Documentary And You

The documentary is coming along well. Catina agreed to watch a few documentaries with me and we will be planning that soon I hope!

So until that happens I have taken it upon myself to watch one that I've been waiting on seeing since its release from The Criterion Collection.

Harlan County U.S.A.

This is the documentary of the 1973 strike against the Brookside Mine in Harlan County Kentucky. This is a very powerful and moving documentary.
It starts by showing some of the history of the region and how impoverished these people are. You see how hard the lives of these people are. The absolute poverty is astounding.

I really have mixed emotions watching this. First I am a union member and from my experience it encourages a lot of laziness. I have been a union member for over fifteen years and believe me if I had to work for a living again it would be difficult.

We have a genuine Johnny Friendly in charge of our union who weaseled his way into a position in which he can't be voted out anymore. I feel he is corrupt, inept and now he is untouchable by the rank and file. In today's day and age unions aren't as necessary. It is a fact.

Now let me tell you that I believe that the unions had a place in America. Because of what the unions did at one time made a lot of changes in the work place. A lot of laws have been made and changed so that when you go to work you are safer and a lot of that is because of a stand made by a union at one time or another.

Coal mining is a dangerous occupation. In 1973 it was even more dangerous than it is now but there are still tragedies that happen in this country. Look no further than Sago.

So here we are at this documentary that is just over thirty years old now. Who was right in this dispute? We really are never told. We don't know the facts, we aren't privy to the contract that was offered, the previous contract, or any of those kind of facts. It really isn't the point though.

What we see is decidedly from the point of view from the people who suffer. From the coal miners who went on strike and the people who went through the strike in the community that lasted just over a year.

In this case I believe the union did a good thing, this is what unions were supposed to be good for and what they should continue to do. There are rallies to support the striking miners. There is a lot of footage from the picket lines as the striking miners are trying to keep the strike breakers out. The state troopers are brought in to keep the roads open and you bear witness to the violence that starts to happen.

You see the way that the striking miners start to splinter in their resolve and you see the inevitable result as things get out of hand. You see how strong the striking miner's wives band together to support their men and stand on the picket line with them. There are parts of this movie that break my heart.

This is also a polarizing documentary. The striking miners are portrayed as saints and of course the company is portrayed as evil. Where is the actual line? It depends on if you are pro or anti union.

An Amazing Saturday Night!!!!

Yes my friends it was a wonderful evening!!!!

It was just a simple evening watching the Dallas/Seattle game. The wonderful part was there was a lot of people there and everyone had a great time!

The common spirit and fun of the evening is what was so fun. My simple and fumbling attempt to explain it with my humble words won't do it justice at all but suffice it to say it was what I needed right now.

It helped me in the midst of a rough patch at the moment and it was a good game to boot!

The Documentary Is Rolling Along!

So far so good!

I haven't reviewed the footage yet but it is going along well. I had some concerns about how we were going to edit it together but I talked with Catina last night about it and we kicked around some ideas.

I believe this is really going to be better than I thought. The downside is that we can't sell it for any profit since we are going to be taping and including the performances in the documentary. Perhaps a film festival or two might be able to happen though, we shall see.

That is a long ways away right now though.

Practice Compassion

I've watched one of the best movies I have ever seen and I'm not even towards the end of it yet.
The movie is called Red Beard. Another Akira Kurosawa movie.

It is honestly hard to pick his best. His best shows why he is a cinematic master, his worst is far better than most of today's Hollywood dreck. His most recognized masterpiece is Seven Samurai but I believe that is only because more of those people are unfamiliar with any of his other masterpieces.

Ikiru which is one of the most amazing movies you will ever see (and I'd love it if anyone asked to view it with me) is about learning to live. Please revisit my post on Ikiru if you wish to learn more.

Red Beard is about learning compassion for your fellow man. The story is simple, an arrogant young doctor in 19th century Japan is sent to a clinic for the poor. It is run by Red Beard, Dr. Kyojio Niide played by Kurosawa's favorite actor Toshiro Mifune. A stern and brilliant doctor who sees beyond the illness and into the patients spirit and heart.

This was also Mifune's last movie with Kurosawa. They had a falling out after Red Beard. The Hallmark of Red Beard is many long takes. One take tops the clock at five and a half minutes. While now a long take is almost unheard of for today's viewing audience. Hollywood just doesn't feel that most people have the patience to invest emotion and caring into the characters and tend to tune out if there isn't a quickly edited pace.

You have to work to watch Red Beard, especially if you can't sit still. The rewards though are extremely high. If I could create a film a tiny fraction of this quality I'd be thrilled.

To practice compassion, what does that mean? I heard once that the most compassionate thing you could ever do for a person was to wipe their tears.

There is nothing more intimate or touching than to show someone you understand their pain, you want to ease their suffering and wiping their tears away is a physical demonstration of that.

Step out of your own self, look around you from a different point of view and look to see where you can practice that kind of compassion. Even if it is as simple as holding a door open for someone, it can have meaning to that person. Look around you.

I got a hug today after work and I can tell you it nearly reduced me to a weepy mess because of the compassion that came through that simple yet powerful act.

Back To Work

After my long holiday vacation it is now time to head back to work for a light schedule. I'll be busy today I am sure of that but just three days and then into a weekend!

We will be continuing the doc shoot tonight with another read through at seven. I'm enjoying it a lot!

What A Finish!!!!

Last night in the Fiesta Bowl Boise State University shocked powerhouse Oklahoma and proved once and for all why there should be a playoff system in Division 1A football.

In a wild finish which proved to be one of the best games I have seen in a long time number 9 David knocked off number 7 Goliath. OU kept giving Boise State more rocks to throw with four turnovers however the big dog was still in the fight until the end of overtime.

Boise decided to go for the two point conversion for the victory or the loss in OT. Their D was just spent and worn out from an outstanding performance on the field. They really gave their everything.

To be fair though OU really was in a no win situation. If they beat Boise, well they were supposed to and if they lost well they lost to a nobody who was easy to overlook.

Now then you will have a 13-0 team, a unbeaten and untied team who might not be crowned Champion. It is possible that they could be the only unbeaten team in all of Division 1A college football and STILL not be the Champs.

If Ohio State loses to Florida then every team will have a loss EXCEPT Boise State!!!!

You can bet that the BCS hated to see Boise win. They wanted to see OU run up the score on the tiny school and prove once and for all that the BCS is the best way to do things. What happened though was the best argument for why they play the games and why the championship needs to be settled on the field instead of in the polls in an antique bowl system that has long outlived its purpose.

This is as close to a BCS meltdown as could be hoped for!!!!

I Expect More

In 2007 I expect more from myself as I mentioned in my last post.
To be specific:
I expect myself to be a better friend.
I expect myself to be more kind, caring, compassionate, and generous.
I expect myself to be more patient with those around me.
I expect myself to learn more.
I expect myself to be a better human.
I expect myself to share more and to not leech as much.
I expect to contribute more to my fellow brother and sister.
I expect everyone one of you to have a better 2007 than I plan on having!!!!